


What Baking Can Do

by monogramsalarm



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bakery, Dad Kravitz, Domestic Fluff, M/M, au where instead of being doomed everyone's happy and living their best lives, taako has a bakery y'all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 23:04:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18980173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/monogramsalarm/pseuds/monogramsalarm
Summary: Everything seemed so ideal; the light and the relics they created were hidden away safely and the crew of the Starblaster were ready for their new lives. But Taako wasn't satisfied. Sure, he used to be a cooking star, and now he had a successful bakery in Neverwinter. But after so much chaos, a normal life was making him bored. Bored enough to welcome the shadowy guest who stepped into his bakery doors with a scythe and a record of every time he'd died.





	What Baking Can Do

The seven remaining members of the IPRE sat together at the long dining room table in the Starblaster. It seemed like everything had built up to this point after an entire century of struggling. They all managed to hide their relics where they’d never be found, but always wanted. Just out of reach, the world would crave the energy they felt from the objects but never be able to secure them. 

Lup thanked her brother every day; if he hadn’t been awake in the middle of the night when she slipped away to hide her relic, she would have definitely been lost. He refused to let her go alone and was there at the right time to catch Cyrus Rockseeker making a move for the gauntlet, dagger at the ready. Taako shot out magic missiles at the perfect moment, incapacitating him just long enough to get the gauntlet into the vault, accidentally locking Cyrus in with Lup’s relic as well. Taako worriedly looked his sister over, making sure the silverpoint poison on the dagger hadn’t gotten her. But she was fine. And from then on, they were all going to be fine.

Davenport marked the location of each relic on his map, looking up at the crew in front of them. Though their exhausted eyes and posture said otherwise, the crew was just as young as the day they embarked on their century-long journey. And they were ready to start their new lives in this world, nothing standing in their way.

“What now?” Merle tapped his fingers on the table. “Are we just going to live on the ship forever?”

“Well,” Lucretia pulled out a shiny new journal, flipping to a page filled with notes in her impeccably neat handwriting. “I’ve made notes on this world. You know, to see where we’d each thrive.” She gently tore out a few pages as the rest of the crew gaped at her. Lucretia tearing the pages out of her journal was unheard of. She wanted to catalogue everything, mistakes and all. This change seemed like the end of an era. Making sure the edges were as smooth as possible, she slid each page to its intended crew member. “I figured Lup and Barry would want to stick together, same with Davenport and Merle. And Taako, I came up with a few things for you. Some on your own, some with you staying nearby Lup and Barry.” She smiled out at the crew as their tired eyes became excited and full of life once more.

“Seems like you’ve had all this figured out of a bit, Luce.” Magnus chimed in, then noticed a specific note on his own sheet. “Raven’s Roost? Where’s this at?”

“It’s an artisan’s town. And I’ve talked to some people from there, I know there’s a family, the Waxman family, who are expert carpenters. Thought you might want to meet them, maybe learn under them.” Lucretia grinned. Magnus’ small smile spread across his face, looking genuinely excited and happy for the first time in years.

“What… What’s this, Luce?” Taako pulled a small slip of paper out of the middle of his notes. “It just has an address in Neverwinter,” he looked it over, frowning as he tried to figure out what it was.

“Oh, that’s the address to a small bakery in Neverwinter that was abandoned! I figured you might like to fix it up, redecorate, and start your own bakery in its place. There’s an apartment above it as well,” Lucretia explained, flipping through her notebook. She tore out another page, handing it to him. “I forgot to give you the explanation to that one.” She laughed a little. Taako looked over the page and beamed, his mind already racing as he thought of all the recipes he could feature.

“What about you, Lucretia?” Davenport spoke up. “You have everything planned out for us, but I don’t see any notes for you.”

“I, um… I don’t really know what I want to do yet.” Lucretia admitted sheepishly, ducking her head down. “I was so focused on the six of you that I haven’t thought about myself.”

“Maybe I have the solution to your little dilemma here, Lucy!” Lup interjected, straightening up. “I heard about a family of scientists who have made some huge discoveries in robotics and engineering! They could be the inspiration and topic you start writing about next. Who knows, they might need an expert chronicler.” Lucretia’s eyes lit up and she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“That actually sounds… Kind of exciting.” She giggled, toying with the edges of her journal’s open page. Davenport sat up straighter, keeping a hold of Merle’s hand.

“I guess… Last meeting of the IPRE adjourned.” He let out a deep, contemplative sigh. No one could tell if it was from relief or disappointment. Though they now had the promise of normal lives in front of them, everything felt… Wrong. Like they weren’t supposed to just go about their lives when everything they’d been through loomed over them. It felt wrong to just leave the Starblaster, their home for a century, and to go their separate ways after only having each other for so long. Of course, it wasn’t goodbye forever. It couldn’t be, they didn’t come this far together just to leave each other for the rest of their lives. It just felt odd to be at the end of everything with such a  _ bright  _ future ahead. 

Nothing was in their way for the first time in over a century. They had a brand new world and brand new lives to live. It could be everything they dreamed they’d get before their lives became their mission. Lup and Barry, hand in hand, thought of the family they could finally have and all the experiments they could do once they figured out the physics of this plane. Taako imagined everything he could serve in his bakery, finally able to fully share his cooking with the world. Davenport and Merle already started talking about the best beach locations and places to settle in where they’d both be happy. Magnus started to tear up thinking about all the dogs that needed homes. And Lucretia just felt relieved that she could finally  _ live  _ and that her family would finally be happy for more than a year. They were all eager to get started, and they knew anything was possible as long as they kept the faith. And after a century of nothing but faith in each other, they weren’t going to stop believing now.

———

A little under a decade later, things were more than ideal. Lucretia had recently introduced the group to her now-fiancée Maureen, who just so happened to be the prevalent scientist and engineer she’d originally set off to work with. A year after they’d all settled down, Merle and Davenport sent out the invitations for their wedding, and the only problem on that day was that Merle insisted on officiating his own wedding ceremony despite the fact that he couldn’t legally marry himself to the love of his life. Not surprisingly, Magnus had become a sort of folk hero; standing up for the people of Raven’s Roost when they needed a leader the most. Tragically, he and his wife Julia lost their home only months after they lead the rebellion, but they still had each other despite everything. Barry and Lup had become professors at the university in Neverwinter, settling into the white picket fence sort of life they’d always looked forward to. Lup taught a class combining chemistry and evocation magic, which was, as her students loved to call it, an explosive learning experience. Barry had become the leading planar expert in all of Faerûn and people from all over traveled to Neverwinter’s university just to take his classes. They were all thrilled with the lives they’d settled into. 

All of them, except for Taako, that is. Sure, he was happy! Who wouldn’t be when you had a successful bakery and your family right nearby? But it just felt… Too mundane to him. Multiple times, he’d considered taking his cooking expertise on the road, but just ran into roadblocks with every show. Sizzle It Up With Taako brought fans, sure. But it just seemed so fleeting after all he’d been through. And here he was, back at the bakery. Granted, he’d met an elven girl who was more than happy to work with him in the shop. As much as he hated to admit it, Ren’s baking rivaled even his own. But Taako still craved some kind of adventure,  _ some  _ mix up from his daily life.

That’s why he was just as excited as he was scared when the grim reaper stepped through the door to the bakery, the quiet bell seeming to not be enough to announce the visitor who’d come in after Taako had turned off the ovens and started packing to head home. He groaned, pushing himself up from where he was kneeling behind the counter, cleaning up some powdered sugar that had spilled on the floor.

“I’m sorry, we’re closing up for the night—“ He stopped, seeing the tall, handsome man standing in the doorway. His black feathered cape seemed to billow, though there was no breeze in the shop. He pulled his long locs up into a ponytail, a small smirk crossing his face as he made eye contact with Taako. “Can I help you?” He questioned, looking him up and down.

“Well, I just want to know how long you thought you would be able to get away with it, that’s all.” He waved his hand and a large book appeared in front of him.

“Get away with… What?” Taako furrowed his brows, thinking of every minor crime he’d ever committed. “Is this because of the incident in Phandalin a few years back? Because look… I didn’t THINK that kind of potion was illegal and I just wanted to have a rowdy weekend with my sister while her boyfriend was out of town!” He paused as the man held up his hand, his expression getting more confused by the second.

“What? No, I want to know how you thought you could get away with dying so many times and not checking into the astral plane!” He flipped through the book, landing on the right name. “Taako Taaco, you’ve died eight times!” His voice got more frantic as he became more pissed off. “That many times and you  _ still  _ haven’t made it to the astral plane? I bring people in for way less, you’re lucky I haven’t dragged you away yet.” He flipped through another page. “Not to mention that your sister and her fiancée have both died many more times,  _ and  _ have become liches. Do you know how highly illegal that is?” He sighed in exasperation and Taako realized who he was. The grim reaper was standing in the middle of his bakery and he, like a dumbass, went off about some potion he’d bought off of a sketchy guy in Phandalin as if that was his biggest offense.

“Can I explain myself? It’s… A lot more complicated than just dodging being dead.” Taako took a deep breath. The man nodded, sitting down.

“You have ten minutes to explain your situation.” He noticed Taako moving around behind the counter and squinted. “What are you doing back there?”

“I figured, as long as I’m trying to get on your good side, I might as well treat you to something, y’know?” Taako placed a small pastry on a plate, grabbing a teapot. “Do you take cream and sugar with your tea?”

“.... You’re not going to put anything  _ extra  _ in there, are you?” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously, his gaze darting from the teapot to Taako.

“Not unless you want me to put cream and sugar in it!” Taako tried to maintain his cheery disposition, despite the fact that literal death was standing in front of him. He set the teapot and two cups on a table and took a seat, gesturing for the man to do the same.

“I must say,” The man cracked a small smile as he sat down and examined the contents of the tea in front of them. “I’m more used to my bounties flinging magical curses and swinging weapons in my direction than them inviting me to sit down for tea.” He decided it was safe and poured himself a small cup, mixing in two sugar cubes.

“That’s where I differ, my guy.” Taako took a sip of tea, then crossed his legs. “So, explanation time.” He launched into a detailed description of their entire journey from the moment they made it to the Institute to the point at which they split up as a crew. “What I’m saying, I guess, is that none of us thought dying would be a recurring thing? I, for one, don’t have plans on dying any time soon in this world. And I can guarantee that when ol’ Taako finally kicks it, it’s going to stick.”

“I have to say, that all tracks.” He gently stirred his tea. “But, there is the matter of you having two liches in your family.”

“Look, Lulu and Barold would never use that for evil. The two of them are professors at the university and they live in the suburbs.” He shifted in his seat, giving the man a serious look. “The whole lich thing was just so they could try and learn more in the years where they kicked the bucket early on. My sister is the biggest dork I know, but she’s also super sweet and kind hearted and could never be corrupted as far as being some power hungry lich. And Barry might be prone to necromantic tendencies, but the man is the human form of Wonder Bread and is just as people pleasing. He loves my nerd sister way too much to let himself lose her, even if he were to be a powerful being. Neither of them are going to risk losing control as liches, they just want to be happy together.” He smiled to himself, thinking about his two favorite dorks.

“Well, Taako…” The man pulled out his book and a quill appeared in his hand. “I must say, you have a compelling tale. And a good argument against your family’s crimes.” He crossed something out in the book, snapping it closed and grinning in Taako’s direction. “Which is why I’m going to let you three off with a warning. This is… A special case. Obviously, if any of you die again, you’ll get a visit from me. And if they lose control of their lich forms, it’ll be the eternal stockade for them. But for now, you’re off the hook.” Taako let out a huge sigh of relief, slumping down in his chair.

“Thank the gods, I did  _ not  _ want to lose my brand so soon.” Taako began to clean up the tea. “By the way, now that you’re not going to drag me to hell or whatever it is you do, I wanna say I like your style. The whole goth thing looks good, you’ve nailed the tall, dark, and handsome aesthetic.” He cracked a smile, setting the dirty dishes behind the counter.

“Well, thank you.” He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I should let you get back to closing up the shop. Hopefully I don’t see you too soon, wouldn’t want you to die so young.”

“I’ll see you in hell, my dude.” Taako winked, cleaning the table and flipping the chairs up on top of it. The man waved one last time and opened up a rift, stepping through it. In their hearts and deep down, they knew it wasn’t going to be the last time they saw each other. In fact, they both hoped it would be the start of something.

The second Taako got home, he knew he had to call Lup and Barry, despite the fact that it was past midnight and they were most definitely already asleep in bed. He saved all of their asses and he needed to brag about cheating death.

“Okay, Koko? Fucking love you, you’re my brother and all that, but you’ve  _ got  _ to stop calling in the middle of the night.” Lup’s half-asleep voice crackled over his stone of farspeech as it glowed dimly in his dark bedroom.

“I just thought you’d like to know that I had a date with death tonight. Kind of.” Taako grimaced as he tried to figure out a better way of phrasing it. “Well, really death showed up at the bakery and I finessed my way out of the three of us being dragged to the astral plane. You’re  _ welcome _ !”

“Wait, what?” Barry’s tired voice chimed in. “One of the Raven Queen’s bounty hunters came to you?”

“Yeah, because we’ve all died a shit ton and y’all are liches! Luckily, he was  _ so  _ persuaded by my charm, good looks, and the fact that I practically begged him, that he let us all off with a warning.” Taako lay back on his bed, realizing how tired the evening had made him. “Aaaanyway, you two can go back to your whole snuggling in your matching, monogrammed pajamas thing. I just figured you should know that I saved your lives tonight and maybe pay me in the morning or some shit.”

“I’ll pay you by not kicking your ass for waking me up in the middle of the night,” Lup snorted in response. “But thanks for having our backs, dingus. Love you,  _ please  _ let us go back to sleep.”

“G’night, nerds!” Taako clicked his stone of farspeech off, rolling over and immediately falling asleep as his head hit the pillow. He’d hate to think of what could’ve happened if he wasn’t able to persuade death to let them all go. They hadn’t made it through a century of hardships and so much loss just to finally lose everything when they were finally happy and comfortable in their lives. But still, Taako knew he would’ve let himself be taken away if it meant Lup and Barry would be able to continue being happy. Their lives had more meaning than his and they deserved it more than he did. As self-sacrificial as he was, Taako was still glad that he was still kicking and out of death’s grasp.

——

Taako rolled out of bed the next morning, the vague memory of the night before flashing through his mind. Luckily, Ren offered to open the shop that morning by herself, so he was in no rush to head back downstairs. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he hadn’t seen the last of the reaper from last night. That afternoon, he went down to the shop, waving to Ren as he vaulted over the counter.

“Hey, Taako! Would you mind running the register for a sec? I’ve got an oven full of cupcakes that I should get to, timer’s about to go off any minute.” Ren grinned, handing a small box to someone over the counter.

“No problem! Go take care of those cakes, Taako’s got the front of the store handled.” He tied his apron around his waist, reaching for the messy dishes that sat on the counter. Ren tossed him the register key and rushed into the back of the bakery, leaving Taako alone as the last guest left the building. He turned to the sink to wash the dishes, then heard the familiar bell chime above the door. “Hey, welcome in! I’ll be just a second!” Taako called out, wiping his hands off on a towel to the right of the sink. He spun around, then stopped in his tracks, immediately recognizing the man who’d stepped through the door, though he looked much more casual than before. His cape was gone, his perfectly tailored suit replaced with a yellow sweater and black pants, his sleeves rolled up to reveal a black tattoo wrapping up his arm. The man smiled somewhat sheepishly, waving a little to Taako before pushing up the circular wire-rim glasses on his face. “What’s up, Death? I thought I wasn’t gonna see you till I died.” He tried to remain casual, though his heart was pounding with fear.

“Well, um, I couldn’t stop thinking about…” He paused, furrowing his brows. “A-about the tea you made last night.” He said a little too loudly, coughing uncomfortably. This was obviously not what he’d meant, but Taako was going to let it slide.

“Oh, so you’re just a normal dude,” Taako said, half to himself. “Not just an almighty reaper collecting souls all day long.”

“That’s just my job. I also walked past on my way to pick my son up from school, figured I’d stop by.” He leaned against the counter. “Would I be able to get a cup of that earl grey from last night?”

“Sure thing, my dude.” Taako grinned, relieved that it was just a casual visit. And he had to admit; with or without all the theatrics from last night, this guy was cute as hell. Had a real hot dad vibe going that Taako was  _ very  _ into. “Oh, by the way,” Taako turned to start brewing his cup of tea. “Do you have an actual name or am I just supposed to call you “Tall, Dark, and Handsome Man Who Almost Killed Me” for this whole exchange?”

“It’s Kravitz,” he chuckled lightly, pulling half of his hair into a small bun on his head. “Like I said, I  _ do  _ have a real life outside of collecting souls. I’m not going to just have my son’s teachers call me Bounty Hunter For the Raven Queen.” Kravitz grinned as Taako slid a to-go cup of tea across the counter. Kravitz traded him a few gold pieces in exchange, a small note underneath the stack of coins. “Thank you, Taako.” He took a sip of the tea, waving a little before he left the bakery, the bell above the door ringing once more. Taako put the coins into the register, then realized what was on the note Kravitz left behind; some runes with his name and a small “call me!” in the corner. Taako cracked a small smile, looking out at the front window as Kravitz walked away from the bakery.

Kravitz walked down the street, making sure he was out of sight of the bakery before he let out a deep sigh of relief. He wasn’t usually this unprofessional; his bounties just stayed that way and he didn’t think twice about them after the job was done. But Taako… There was something special about him that Kravitz couldn’t put his finger on. Sure, he was objectively the most beautiful man Kravitz had ever seen and he  _ was  _ confident and charming, even while staring death in the face. But he just felt so much more of a connection and couldn’t keep Taako off of his mind. His mind was so preoccupied that he nearly walked past his son’s school, only pausing after hearing his son call out to him.

“Hi, dad!” Angus bounded up to him, wrapping his arms around Kravitz.

“Hey, kiddo? How were classes today?” He looked Angus over, smiling at him.

“Pretty good! My professors say I’m on track to graduate before I’m fifteen!” His wide grin just stayed on his face as he gushed about school.

“I know I tell you this all the time, but you’re such a talented kid, Angus.” Kravitz tousled his hair, causing Angus to pull away and fix his messy curls. “It’s not every day you have a ten year old kid in college!”

“Maybe not every day for other people, but it’s everyday for you! Cuz you’re my dad!” Angus elbowed him playfully. They continued their walk home and Kravitz’ heart started racing again as they passed the bakery where Taako worked. He quickly ducked his head away, blushing furiously. Angus, always paying attention, noticed his sudden change and paused, looking at the bakery.

“What’s in there that you’re so interested in?” Angus peeked in the windows, just seeing an elven man joking with a drow woman behind the counter at the bakery. Flour seemed to be flying in the air and the woman was covered in it, a playfully angry and determined look on her face. Angus noticed Kravitz just staring at the elven man and grinned, stepping towards the building. “Can we go inside dad? I’d love a croissant!” He put on his innocent little kid face, but he knew his dad just wanted to go in and see the elf inside. Kravitz took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sure, kiddo!” He tried to not let on that he was nervous to see Taako right after he’d  _ just  _ given his stone of farspeech information to him. They entered the bakery together, hearing Taako shouting behind him into the kitchen.

“I am  _ not  _ useless, Ren! Maybe I just want to call him immediately, it’s not like— Oh fuck.” Taako noticed Kravitz had walked in with a young boy and waved awkwardly. “Hey, Kravitz. Back so soon?”

“Yeah, kiddo here wanted to get a pastry!” Kravitz gestured to Angus, who’d immediately ran over to the case, admiring the baked goods inside.

“Uh huh, I bet he just couldn’t wait to come in.” Taako winked, leaning against the counter. Kravitz immediately blushed, covering his face in embarrassment. “So, um,” he paused, not sure how to put his thoughts into words. “You  _ meant  _ to give me this, right?” Taako asked softly as he pulled the note from his apron pocket.

“Well, yeah,” Kravitz nodded, still blushing. “Is that… Okay?” A small grin spread across Taako’s face, causing Kravitz to feel a fluttering in his chest that  _ definitely  _ wasn’t his heart beating again after centuries. He didn’t know  _ why  _ this elf had this kind of effect on him, but he wasn’t going to object to those feelings.

“It’s more than okay, Krav.” Taako stopped, feeling embarrassed at the overly familiar way he just addressed him. “Sorry, force of habit. I just nickname people, it’s dumb.” He trailed off. Kravitz laughed a little, leaning in closer to Taako. He’d never been given a nickname before, and hearing it come from the man he was already head over heels for was more than perfect.

“I like it. Never been called “Krav” before, it’s endearing.” Kravitz examined his expression before becoming  _ very  _ aware that Angus was still there. “Did you find something you liked, Angus?” Kravitz turned towards the bakery case.

“I think I’d like some of these macarons! The ones with the raspberries.” Angus nodded to himself. He wasn’t a dumb kid; he was fully aware his dad was flirting with the elf behind the counter. And he needed it. Angus had been worried about his dad for a while, knowing his line of work wasn’t the most social. He noticed his dad seemed lonely, though he’d never admit it. Playing matchmaker and egging them on was the least he could do for his dad.

“Alright, a raspberry macaron coming up!” Taako grabbed a small porcelain plate, placing a macaron on top of it. Kravitz reached for his coin purse where he’d put his gold and Taako laughed. “This one’s on the house, don’t worry about it.” 

“Thank you so much!” Angus beamed, fully knowing that Taako was only doing it for his dad. He sat across the bakery, glancing over at the counter occasionally as he nibbled on the cookie.

“Ren, I’m going to take a short break!” Taako called to the back, grabbing a teapot and brewing some earl grey for him and Kravitz. He led him over to a small table and set the teapot down. “Is this not how you envisioned the first date, Krav?” Taako teased slightly, pouring himself a cup of tea.

“Having a little tea party the day after I nearly dragged you to the astral plane while my son sits across the bakery _definitely_ listening to everything we're saying?” Kravitz laughed a little as he sat across from Taako. “It’s about how I imagined it.” The two of them chatted for perhaps too long, but Angus didn’t seem to mind. He just sat at a small table near them, doing his homework while Kravitz talked to the first person he wanted to be close to other than his own son in decades. He communicated with his bounties, which were less than cordial encounters, and he was always involved in Angus’ school life and talked to his teachers to make sure he was doing alright. But this was totally different. Right away, Kravitz felt a connection with Taako. He didn’t know what it was; maybe fate, could just be attraction. Whatever the reason, Kravitz knew he wasn’t going to let Taako go any time soon.

———

“Morning, babe.” Taako kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently, sitting up in bed. “Want me to make breakfast?”

“Mmm, that would be great…” Kravitz yawned, half asleep. They’d only been living together for a few months, but they already felt like an old married couple. On his days off, Taako would walk Angus to and from school, and he always cooked dinner for them no matter what. The adjustment seemed so natural to Angus, surprising both Kravitz and Taako. He immediately welcomed Taako into both his life and his family. Angus seemed just as excited to have him living with them as they did. As far as Angus was concerned, Taako was as much his dad as Kravitz was, though he’d never admit it out loud.

“I’m gonna walk with kiddo to class, then I’m having lunch with my sister,” Taako pulled on one of Kravitz’ plain tees that sat on the top of their hamper. “How late are you going to be working?”

“Not late at all.” Kravitz pushed himself up and out of bed. “I’ll probably be off in time to walk Angus home from classes.”

“Sounds dope, I’ll have to make sure and plan a great dinner for tonight.” Taako grinned. “I’ll get started on breakfast, see you when you’re all dressed.” He headed out of the room, going into the kitchen to start cooking. To his surprise, Angus was already up, sitting at the breakfast bar reading a book. “Morning, Ango,” Taako waved a little, noticing how Angus barely registered his entrance. “Everything okay, kiddo?” Angus jumped slightly, realizing Taako was in the room as he was shaken from his train of thought.

“Yeah, just got distracted.” He grinned, pushing his glasses up his nose.

“Pancakes sound good?” Taako began tossing ingredients into a bowl, whisking it together. “I’m also walking you to school if that’s cool with you!”

“Of course!” Angus gave him a small thumbs up. Taako poured the pancake batter into the pan as he continued. “Both things sound great, dad!” He suddenly froze, realizing he slipped up. A little smile crossed Taako’s face and he turned around to see Angus burying his head in his hands.

“Kiddo, did you just say what I thought you did?” He raised a single eyebrow. Angus took that opportunity to bury his head further down, covering his head completely with his arms.

“I didn’t mean to, I swear!” Angus shouted from his sweater sleeve cave. “It just slipped out!” Taako noticed how panicked Angus sounded and his expression immediately softened.

“Angus, you don’t have to be embarrassed,’ he leaned against the counter. “Honestly, pumpkin. If you want to call me dad, be my guest.” He paused, thinking of a way to lighten the tension. “Just don’t say anything to Lup because she’ll get me a surplus of khakis and polo shirts along with far too many Fantasy Home Depot gift cards.” He nudged Angus with his elbow, causing Angus to look up and smile at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it as Kravitz walked in the room.

“Smells good, hon!” He planted a kiss to Taako’s temple as he straightened his tie. “I’m actually running a little late so I won’t be able to have any, but I can’t wait for dinner.”

“See you after work, Krav!” Taako grinned. “Don’t have too much fun upholding the laws of life and death.” He and Angus both waved as Kravitz opened a rift in the middle of the kitchen, stepping through as he headed to work. The rest of the morning, Angus seemed a little too quiet. Just as Taako was about to ask him if he was okay as they walked to the Neverwinter University, Angus finally spoke up.

“Did I tell you how Kravitz became my dad?” Angus shoved his hands into his pockets. Taako shook his head and Angus smiled to himself. “My mom died when I was born, and my dad passed a couple years ago. Kravitz helped my dad over to the astral plane and when my dad asked if he could find someone to take care of me, he took it upon himself to raise me.” Angus grinned up at Taako. “He’s always been fairly upbeat, but it was nothing like he has been in the past few months. You make him really happy, Taako. And that means a lot to me because he’s the most important person in my life. I’ve seen him hurt before and I know you wouldn’t do that.” He was taken aback as Taako pulled him into a tight hug once they reached the school.

“I promise you I’ll always be here for you and Krav. I love you both  _ so _ much, kiddo.” He ruffled Angus’ hair. “Have fun at school, okay Angus?”

“I will! I’ll see you when I get home!” Angus waved, turning on his heel. Taako waved until he was out of sight, smiling widely. In his two centuries of life, Taako never thought this would be appealing. The domestic life, the fact that he was here walking a kid to school while his boyfriend was at work. But it was the life he secretly craved. In his whole life, with all the death and everything the century of planar adventures brought, Taako wanted nothing more than to settle down. And then when they split up the light of creation and made lives for themselves on this plane, Taako’s sedentary lifestyle of the same thing day in and day out became so unappealing. What he needed was something to shake that up. The grim reaper stepping through the door to his bakery and taking over his entire life, bringing along the cutest kid with him, was exactly what he needed.

Taako tended to be by himself, only letting a few people in. A few months changed that for him, giving him a new kind of family than the one he was used to. And he was more than ready for whatever lay ahead for them.


End file.
